Sheila Jackson Lee: “We have done the right thing. We have kept the government open, but there is much more to do. It is the wide- ranging…”

“We have done the right thing. We have kept the government open, but there is much more to do. It is the wide- ranging responsibilities of the United States Congress. One of those responsibilities is to tell the truth of our history. This is a unique day, February 29, a leap year. There are a lot of unique aspects of America's history, and certainly, one of them is the history of slavery. I am very proud to have been given the responsibility of carrying forward H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. This is a law that was introduced 38 years ago by the late John Conyers, not for any form of retribution or retaliation, but to know the truth, to address the historical injustices, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States. By the way, slavery still exists around the world. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in signing on to H.R. 40. In this month of African-American History Month, let us know the truth, and let us know the truth together. ____________________”